Brian Caccianaga

I am 65 and live in Melbourne. At 2 months of age I caught Polio, leaving me with both legs and one arm severely paralysed. Schooling was a mixture of able bodied and non-able-bodied schools.

I have always been one to live life as independently as possible. During my life I have continuously advocated for independence. I believe my handicap is not caused by polio but by the environment around me, to the extent I stayed away from using a wheelchair for as long as I could because I knew that when I used a wheelchair, life was a lot harder. Using a wheelchair meant I had to make different choices, so I avoided it for a long time. For the last seven years I have been in a wheelchair and accessibility is more difficult.

I am classified as a baby boomer and disabled, and it is clear to me able bodied baby boomers are now having accessibility issues to their environment such as ramps and level entry doorways to buildings and public transport.

I am currently a co-admin in a group called All Aboard, we deal specifically with access to all public transport for everybody. We advocate and campaign for equal access to all forms of transport for the elderly and disabled under the DSAPT – Disability Standards for Accessible Public Transport. All public transport is supposed to meet these standards, and this is not happening. On behalf of All Aboard I am a member of Yarra Trams Access Reference group and Metro Trains Access Reference group as an individual advocate.

I am often seen in the offices of Government personnel, CEOs and business owners, advocating for a more independently accessible environment. I focus my speaker presentations on independently accessible Public Transport.